Auckland’s port continues to support Sea Scouting in New Zealand

Ports of Auckland has announced a three year partnership with SCOUTS New Zealand as part of an on-going commitment to support local sea scouting. The announcement of funding, following the gifting of a mini-van, will help to develop scouting in the Auckland region and aid in appointing a new Regional Development Officer.

Since teaming up with the SCOUTS in 2014, sponsorship from the port has allowed SCOUTS New Zealand to provide development support to 17 Sea Scout Groups, serving 161 volunteer Leaders and 859 Scouts, across Auckland and the surrounding region.

SCOUTS is continuing to grow its presence in Auckland and by the end of 2014 an additional 62 young people were actively participating in sea scouting, with two new Sea Scout Groups being formed in early 2015. Additionally, 27 cutter sails and 19 sunburst sails were provided for the National Scout Regatta and later distributed to benefit Sea Scout Groups across the region.

“We are delighted to receive both the minivan and on-going financial support of $50,000 per year over the next three years. Both will be a huge boost for the continued development of SCOUTS in the region”, said Niamh Lawless, SCOUTS Chief Executive.

The port company revamped a previous on-premise security van for the Scouting organisation which was handed over to Niamh Lawless, by Ports of Auckland Chief Executive Tony Gibson at Auckland’s port. The van will serve as transportation for the regional development team to visit and support Scout Groups.

Ports of Auckland is SCOUTS’ first maritime industry partner in support of sea scouting. The partnership seeks to give more young people the chance to experience the joy of sailing and water activities in a safe way.

“Sea scouting is a both a celebration of our maritime environment and an investment in the development of our youth. The Ports of Auckland is proud to support SCOUTS in a way that will contribute to the growth of scouting in our community” said Tony Gibson.

Ports of Auckland is also working alongside SCOUTS to provide them with on-going opportunities to grow their membership profile. This has included inviting SCOUTS to participate in the port’s annual open weekend, SeePort, which this year attracted more than 65,000 people over three days. At the event, SCOUTS had a visible presence and following-on from this exposure, the organisation experienced a significant spike in interest from people wanting to join.

Tony added, “Our partnership with SCOUTS is about much more than just handing over a cheque each year. We see huge value in the work that SCOUTS do within our local community and are always looking for ways that we can promote this work or to help them drive new memberships.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have such a vibrant, working waterfront in Auckland and SCOUTS do a great job in making maritime activities more accessible to our youth. Their work aligns nicely with the other activities we also support in the community with a view to achieving this, such as our free boat tours, SeePort open weekend and school tour programmes and we look forward to continuing our partnership.”

ENDS

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